Finger-guard



L. W. GEORGE. FINGER GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED m. 28, 1919.

1,375,690. Patente Apr- 26,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEON W. GEORGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO HOWE SAFETY APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FINGER-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed February 28, 1919. Serial No. 279,732.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON W'. GEORGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful F inger- Guard, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a certain new and useful finger-guard.

In practically all industrial plants, the accidental smashing or otherwise injuring of the fingers of the workmen or operators, even with the use today of modern safetyguards and appliances, are frequent occurrences Such accidents are followed in most cases by enforced absence of the injured workman or operator from work for a more or less indefinite period to give the damaged finger an opportunity to heal sufficiently to enable the workman to use his hands without danger of aggravating the inju Such absence from work is, in turn, followed by loss either to the workman in wages, or to the employer by slowing down production or by necessitating the employment of additional or extra help.

To remedy such conditions by enabling the workman to safely work and use his hands during the period of finger-healing when he would be otherwise inactive or absent from work, is the object of my present invention, and to that end I have provided a finger-guard, which is exceedingly simple in form and construction, inexpensive in manufacture and production, and easily, quickly, and conveniently applied to and upon the injured finger, and which efiiciently protects and shields the finger and, at the same time, permits the free use of the hand during the period of finger-healing.

My present invention resides in the novel form and construction of the finger-guard hereinafter described and afterward claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 shows the guard in plan view as the same comes from the stamping and forming dies or the like and prior to bendin or folding into finished form;

ig. 2 is a side elevational view of the guard in finished form; and

Fig. 3 shows the guard in applied, protecting or shielding position upon an 1njured finger.

Referring to "the said drawing, 1n which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, my new fingerguard. 18 stamped, pressed, or otherwise constructed and formed of any suitable sheet metallic material, such as and preferably light aluminum, in a single somewhat elongated section A, which is preferably rounded at its opposite ends, as at l1, and includes opposite end-portion 2--2, andan intermediate end-connecting portion 3, the portion 3 being arcuately cut away at its opposite side edges, as at 4-4, and thereby reduced in width relatively to the end-portions 2, and the end-portions 2 being convexed or arcshaped in transverse section. The strip or section A so formed is then, in a more or less gentle bend 5 at its portion 3, folded upon itself into substantially U- shape to present its said end-portions 2 in finished form yieldingly in opposed relation one to the other, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In use, the damaged or injured finger is first dressed and a guard then fitted in protecting and embracing position thereupon, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the end-portions 2 of the guard being disposed upon and profooting the front and back and also the sides of the finger and the intermediate portion 3 being spaced slightly outwardly from and shielding the end of the finger. The guard being so disposed and fitted upon the finger, the same is conveniently attached or fastened thereupon by means of a band of adhesive tape or the like 6 passed therea-round into engagement with both the finger and the freeends of the guard end-portions 2.

With the use of my new finger-guard, the workman having an injured finger may have the finger dressed and at once safely return to work without fear of aggravating the injury, for the guard, so fitted and retained upon the finger as described, fully protects and shields the finger, while permitting free use of the hand, during the period of finger-healing. the cut-away side edges 4 of the intermediate portion 3 of the guard providing an entrance-space for an to the finger during healing and any knocks which the finger may receive or to which it may be sub'ected in use being taken up and absorbed w olly by the guard or by the finger or hand beyond the injured part thereof.

The guard i exceedingly slmple and menpensive and I may add. has been found, from use today in many plants, most efi'ective and efiicient in accomplishing the object hereinbefore mentioned.

It is to be understood that changes in the form and construction of my new guard may be made and substituted for that herein shown and described Without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thusdescribed my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a. new article of manufacture, a finger-guard formed of a single elongated strip of metallic material and, by perinanent bending of the strip, comprising integrally a pair of spaced longitudinally disposed yielding leg-portions and a central portion joining the legs at one end, the legportions being transversely of opposed convexed curvature and the central portion being longitudinally gently rounded and arcuately cutaway at 1ts opposite side-edges and thereby reduced in Width relatively to the leg-porti011s, the leg-portions and the central portion being adapted to embrace transversely of opposed convcxed curvature and the central portion being longitudinally gently rounded and arcuately cutawa at its opposite side-edges and thereby reduced in width relatively to the leg-portions, the leg-portions and the central portion being adapted to embrace and shield both, the

front, back, sides, and end of the finger, in combination With means adapted to en gage the leg-portions and thefinger for securing the guard in shielding position upon the finger.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

LEON W. GEORGE. 

